Some districts settle teacher contracts

After working two years without a contract, teachers in Muskegon Heights have reached a tentative five-year agreement.

They were among teachers in several districts who returned to work this school year without a settled contract. Teachers in Muskegon and North Muskegon also continue to negotiate new contracts and Reeths-Puffer teachers are awaiting school board approval of their new agreement.

Settled before the start of the school year were contracts with teachers in Whitehall and Ravenna.

Discussions between teachers and administrators in Muskegon Heights have been marked by "mutual respect," said Frank Mongene, Uniserv director for the Michigan Education Association representing teachers in the district.

Details of the agreement reached Thursday will not be available until it's ratified by the teachers and approved by the school board, perhaps by Sept. 22.

Mongene said talks centered around working conditions for the district's 130 teachers, primarily class sizes, but not salaries or financial issues.

"We just don't have a lot to work with there; they don't have any money," Mongene said of the Heights district. "It's hard to get something that isn't there."

The five-year contract is retroactive for two years, Mongene said.

Other districts that have been working on new contracts are:

• North Muskegon, which Mongene said is "very close to settlement." They are hoping to reach a multi-year contract after tiring of bargaining one-year agreements every year, he said.

Talks there center around wages and insurance, Mongene said, adding that the atmosphere is "very friendly."

"You can talk about tough stuff and we don't make enemies," Mongene said. "It's just a whole different atmosphere compared to other districts in the county."

• Muskegon, where the teachers' contract expired Aug. 31 and the two sides have met 10 times.

Up in the air is a district calendar. Mongene said among topics on the table are more planning time for teachers and consolidation of half days -- something school administrators tend to favor because half days are wasteful when it comes to fuel costs versus instruction time.

Teachers also favor full days off of instruction rather than half days when they get professional development because "it's hard to get any kind of quality training in just half a day," Mongene said.

But Mongene said he believes teachers may be "in for a tough battle" at Muskegon because the administration has hired a Grand Rapids attorney with a tough reputation to help with negotiations.

• Reeths-Puffer, where teachers worked for a year without a contract and recently arrived at a tentative three-year agreement that retroactively covers the 2007-08 school year. Uniserv Director Bob Kwiatkoski said the school board is expected to approve the agreement Monday, and declined to give specifics on the contract until then.

• Whitehall, where teachers ratified a new agreement over the summer.

Under a one-year agreement, Whitehall teachers will receive a 2.5 percent raise, long-term disability benefits, and more planning time for those who work at the elementary level, said MEA Uniserv Director Kathleen Maka.

• Ravenna, where a two-year agreement recently was approved. This year, they will receive a 1 percent raise, though their salary schedules will go up 2 percent, Maka said. Next year, they will receive a 2 percent raise, which will be based on the 2 percent schedule raise.

Ravenna teachers also received improved reimbursements for tuition and for subbing during prep periods, and switched to a less expensive health insurance plan offered through MESSA, an insurance provider affiliated with the MEA. Their prescription costs will be $10 for generics and $20 for name-brand drugs, compared with a choice of a $5/$10 plan and a $10/$20 plan previously. They also will receive reimbursement for adult immunizations.